Kamala Harris vigorously defended Joe Biden when Charlamagne tha God questioned who was really “running the country.”
The tense exchange went down in the latest episode of Tha God’s Honest Truth with Charlamagne Tha God, in which the titular host criticized POTUS for failing to uphold his promises to the American people. Charlamagne specifically pointed to roadblocks facing the $2 trillion social spending package, which some Democratic moderates—like West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin—have refused to support.
“Who’s the real president of this country?” Charlamagne asked. “Is it Joe Manchin or Joe Biden?”
“No, no, no, no. It’s Joe Biden,” the vice president responded. “And don’t start talking like a Republican about asking whether or not he’s president. It’s Joe Biden, and I’m vice president. My name is Kamala Harris.”
The former California senator went on to list some of the Biden administration’s achievements over the past year, such as sending child tax credit checks and prioritizing criminal justice reform.
“OK, so I hear the frustration, but let’s not deny the impact that we’ve had and agree also that there is a whole lot more work to be done and it is not easy to do,” she continued. “But we will not give up and I will not give up.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Charlamagne warned Harris that Biden’s inability to fulfill his agenda might cost him votes among the Black community.
“At what point do we like, you know, stop being politicians and just be real with the American people, Madam Vice President? Because we know Joe Manchin is ruining this country and stuff,” he said. “The stuff he’s holding up progress on, our hurt and people that are hurting Black people in particular. If Democrats allow Joe Manchin to continue to do this, how do you convince Black people to come out and continue to vote for you?”
Harris pushed back on Charlamagne’s framing, saying the real issue wasn’t the Democratic Party’s internal battles, but rather the Republican Party that is “consistently and unanimously standing in the way of progress.”
“It is my recollection that not one (GOP member) voted for the American Rescue Plan. It is my knowledge that we couldn’t get them to even agree, not one to debate,” Harris explained. “On what we were, except maybe Lisa Murkowski at some different points to debate about what we need to do on voting couldn’t get because of Republican opposition, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to get up for a vote, something I helped write with Cory Booker.”
Harris suggested emphasis be placed where she said it should be: “in this year of our Lord 2021 in America and on some basic issues like upholding our democracy, we can’t get bipartisan support and therefore can’t get it through.”
